According to the disclosure, provision is made in particular of a functionality for planning a path or trajectory during the movement of a motor vehicle from a starting position into a target position (parking position) situated in the vicinity of said starting position, that is to say for trajectory planning along a relatively short distance.
With the advancing development of parking assistance devices, systems are provided that make it possible for a vehicle to be maneuvered, with partial or full automation, into a parking position. The respective parking maneuvers are performed by driver assistance devices of said type with varying levels of automation. For example, some devices are capable only of performing parking maneuvers parallel to the roadway, whereas other devices can also perform parking maneuvers perpendicular to the roadway. Further devices are capable of moving a vehicle out of a parked position, and further devices are suitable for parking in a garage and exiting a garage from a parked position.
In general, parking assistance devices of said type typically operate on the basis of a similar principle. Firstly, a data capture phase enables a target position (adhering to certain dimensions) to be identified. The data capture in said phase of exploration of the surroundings generally makes it necessary for the surroundings to be sensed or scanned by the vehicle. In a subsequent planning phase, a suitable trajectory or path for reaching the target position is calculated. The calculated path is thereupon converted, in a maneuvering phase, into corresponding set point values for the lateral and/or longitudinal control. Here, some systems are also capable of monitoring the respective surroundings and, if appropriate, modifying the originally planned trajectory in order to be able to react to an obstruction appearing along the trajectory. Finally, the maneuver is ended if either the target position has been reached or a termination scenario has arisen.
Here, in the planning phase, the calculation of the trajectory is performed taking into consideration only certain predefined problems or specifications (for example the calculation of a trajectory for reverse parking into a parking space arranged parallel to the roadway). Here, there is a demand for more general or more universal planning, possibly also taking into consideration additional data, in order to be able to take into consideration a greater number of parking scenarios. For example, in practice, scenarios may arise in which a driver wishes to maneuver the vehicle into certain target positions not offered by the parking assistance device presently being used. In further scenarios, it may be desired to maneuver the vehicle into a parking position that is oriented neither parallel nor perpendicular, but obliquely with respect to the roadway. In further possible scenarios, the driver may wish to modify the end position of the vehicle in the respective parking space.
With regard to the prior art, reference is made by way of example to DE 10 2007 055 391 A1, WO 2011/029693 A1, US 2014/0057237 A1, US 2013/0046441 A1 and CN 102963355.